An Exploratory Study of Sugar Relationships in the Philippines

Mark Anthony  M. Quintos,; Marianne Carmel  C. Galvez,

An Exploratory Study of Sugar Relationships in the Philippines

Mark Anthony M. Quintos | Marianne Carmel C. Galvez

Discipline: social sciences (non-specific)

Abstract:

Sugarbook, a dating application that connects sugarbabies and sugarparents, experienced a server crash due to a massive surge in registrations from the Philippines in 2020. It had approximately 200,000 Filipino users by 2021 – with 76% registered as sugarbabies, and nearly half of them were students. This surge prompted Senator De Lima to file Senate Resolution 609 in January 2021, initiating a legislative inquiry into the escalating use of sugar dating sites. This resolution highlighted sugar relationships as a social problem, especially impacting young women grappling with pandemic-induced economic hardships. It is common knowledge in Sociology that trying to solve a problem can yield varying outcomes: success, failure, exacerbation of the issue, or the creation of new problems. These undesirable outcomes may result from a lack of understanding of the problem, the proposed solution, or both. With this in mind, the study explored the lived experiences of Filipino sugarbabies to gain a better understanding of the nuanced nature of sugar relationships. The research was able to identify the motivations behind the entry of sugarbabies into this kind of relationship, the process of discovering and participating in them, the expectations they are expected to fulfill, and the risks that are associated with these relationships.

References:

Blumer, H. (1971). Social Problems as Collective Behavior. Social Problems, 18(3), 298–306. https://doi.org/10.2307/799797
Erickson, S. (2019, October 15). The 7 types of sugar daddy relationships. EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/835661
Gunnarsson, L., & Strid, S. (2021). Varieties of Sugar Dating in Sweden: Content, Compensation, Motivations. Social Problems, 1(26). https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spab063
Lopez , E. C. (2021, February 8). As joblessness bites, a “sugar daddy” dating site is thriving in the Philippines. KrASIA. https://kr-asia.com/as-joblessness-bites-a-sugar-daddy-dating-site-is-thriving-in-the-philippines
Malasig, J. (2020, September 15). Pucker up: Sugar dating is on the rise in the Philippines amid COVID-19 pandemic. Interaksyon. https://interaksyon.philstar.com/trends-spotlights/2020/09/15/176885/pucker-up-sugar-dating-is-on-the-rise-in-the-philippines-amid-covid-19-pandemic/
Nayar, K. I. (2017). Sweetening the deal: dating for compensation in the digital age. Journal of Gender Studies, 26(3), 335–346. https://doi.org/10.1080/09589236.2016.1273101
Quintos, M.A., Iwayama, M. & S.B. Piamonte (2020). Virtual Masquerade: Understanding the Role of Twitter’s Alter Community in the Social and Sexual Engagements of Men who have Sex with Men. Banwa A 13: art048.
Quismundo, T. (2020, October 30). Dangerous or empowering? Signups on sugar daddy dating site rise among young women in PH amid pandemic. ABS-CBN News. https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/10/30/20/signups-on-sugar-daddy-dating-site-rise-among-young-ph-women-amid-pandemic
Scull, M. T. (2019). “It’s Its Own Thing”: A Typology of Interpersonal Sugar Relationship Scripts. Sociological Perspectives, 63(1), 135–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731121419875115
Sum, K. Y., & Sehu Mohamad, Z. (2022). The Self-perception of Sugar Relationship and Self-esteem among Young Adults: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v12-i6/13937